The following list details the 135 Pokémon of Generation III in order of their National Pokédex number. The first Pokémon, Treecko, is number 252 and the last, Deoxys, is number 386. Alternate forms that result in type changes and Mega Evolutions are included for convenience.

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Nintendo Life noted in a retrospective that the third generation of Pokémon has a very different "feel" from the two generations that came before it because almost all of its 135 new Pokémon – save for Azurill and Wynaut – have no relation to those of the previous generations. Unlike generation 1 and 2, two of the "starter" Pokémon of Ruby and Sapphire gained a secondary typing in their final form, giving them a wider range of abilities. Ruby and Sapphire features two "Mythical Pokémon" – Jirachi and Deoxys – both of which became available to coincide with their respective anime movies.[1]

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire significantly increased the amount of "Dark"- and "Steel"-type Pokémon in the series, as only a few Pokémon in previous generations used these typings. Hardcore Gamer also noted that many of the new Pokémon made use of "dual typing", where Pokémon have both a primary and a secondary type; this wasn't nearly as common in Red and Blue or Gold and Silver.[2]

A new mechanic introduced in X and Y called Mega Evolution—a temporary form change akin to normal evolution—was added for more dynamic battles and stemmed from the concepts of bonds and evolution.[3][4] A variant of Mega Evolution called "Primal Reversion" was introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire; this mechanic is exclusive to the legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre.[5]

Because of randomly-generated spot patterns, there can exist 4,294,967,296 different variations of Spinda in the games. Junichi Masuda has noted that much planning and discussion had to be done to make this feasible in game, and because of this, Spinda has become a favorite Pokémon of his.[33]

Deoxys is capable of changing between four "formes"—Normal, Attack, Defense, and Speed—each of which differs by base stat values, effort value yield, and appearance.[45] In the Game Boy Advance games, Deoxys' forme changes depending on the game it is used in; subsequent games allow players to freely select each forme by interacting with meteorites found in specific in-game locations.

Alex Carlson of Hardcore Gamer wrote in 2014 that the third generation of Pokémon games was not well received by fans of the series, with some people calling the generation the "worst in the series history".[2] This was in part because Ruby and Sapphire did not allow players to transfer in their Pokémon from previous generations, while many older Pokémon did not reappear in the games until Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were released a few years later.[46] Meanwhile, many of the new Pokémon designs, such as those for Torchic, Feebas, Luvdisc, Castform, and Clamperl, were criticized for being unoriginal.[2][46][47]